Old and New Love
by Wilona Riva
Summary: Reposted from my old account.  "My son, Prince Phantom, has come of age!" the king's strong tenor rang out to the crowd gathered below the Balcony of Ceremonies. "This day, he shall choose, as his rite of passage, his first lover!"
1. Rite of Passage

Old and New Love

By: Wilona Riva

Disclaimer: Danny Phantom belongs to Butch Hartman, Nickelodeon, etc.

* * *

**Rite of Passage**

* * *

_"My son, Prince Phantom, has come of age!" the king's strong tenor rang out to the crowd gathered below the Balcony of Ceremonies. "This day, he shall choose, as his rite of passage, his first lover!"_

_The crowd cheered wildly. Prince Phantom was fourteen today and very popular among the court and kingdom. He was an apprentice to Clockwork the Time Lord and heir to all the riches of the Ghost Zone. King Vladimir had brought peace following the devastating warfare wrought by the old king, Pariah Dark. Prince Phantom would usher in the golden age of their realm._

_"Behold, your prince!"_

_All eyes swung to the young man who was an exact mix of his parentage. Queen Nicole, daughter of Pariah Dark, had emerald eyes and long, straight sable-colored hair intertwined with diamonds. Her blue dress clung tightly to her skin, its empire waist showing off her delectable curves. Prince Phantom inherited her tanned skin and emerald eyes. His small stature, quiet nature, and snow white hair came from his father. _

_Lord Vladimir was a rare ghost who could take human form; some dared to call him a halfa. He didn't care really; he had won the respect of his people by being the kind of ruler they wanted-tough, but fair._

_Prince Phantom bowed respectfully to his father, who wore the ceremonial black robes of state, with the Crown of Fire upon his head and the Ring of Rage upon his right hand. It added a sickening green tinge to his already bluish-green skin. His pupiless fiery eyes didn't add to his features by much, in his opinion._

_"Father, I am too young for this," he protested, causing some in the crowd to murmur._

_"We've had this talk before, Phantom," his father quietly replied. "Who amongst our people would you have?"_

_Phantom sighed. The first time for any young ghost was special. "I desire the courtesan, Desiree." _

_A beautiful woman in harem costume, hidden in the first few rows of the crowd, was pushed forward. She had dark green skin, crimson eyes, and long lustrous black hair. The crowd murmured their approval-Desiree was an excellent choice as a lover._

_Prince Phantom's eyes connected with hers. He ducked his head and blushed. Queen Nicole frowned. She had plans for her son; plans to ally her house with the House of Aragon. Her son must be a virgin when he wed Princess Dorathea. Dragons were picky about that in their mates._

_The rest of the day passed in pomp and ceremony. That night, Prince Phantom and the courtesan Desiree were ushered in the prince's sumptuous chambers and locked in for the night._

_"I don't really want to do this," he told her._

_"I know," she answered, "but I will make this night unforgettable. May I?"_

_Prince Phantom gestured at the fruit bowl. "Help yourself."_

_High in a tower, where none ever set foot, Queen Nicole flung the sheet off an old iron-framed mirror her father had brought from the human world for her. Legend had it that a sorcerous queen had used its powers to spy out young maidens of beauty and slain them when they rivalled her own; her own step-daughter being no exception._

_"Mirror, Mirror, silver bright, show me my son this night!"_

_The mirror's silvery surface dimmed, then brightened. Her son's eyes were closed in ecstasy, as the courtesan pressed a bit of cheese and fruit to his lips. The Queen screamed in rage as the courtesan leaned forward to touch her lips to the prince's._

_The Queen did the unthinkable-she called forth a forbidden spell to send her son away from the temptuous wench._

_Desiree cried out as Prince Phantom vanished before her eyes. "No!" This was a very dark power to interfere with the young prince's rite of passage. _

_"What do you mean, 'he's gone?'" King Vladimir shouted, when she ran sobbing to him. _

_"He vanished before my eyes, Majesty," Desiree said, falling to her knees. "We barely touched lips and he just faded."_

_"Nicole!" the king growled. "I know she has something to do with this."_

_"I will search for him, my lord," the courtesan said, rising to her feet. "This is my fault."_

_"You have my permission," the king said. "Don't forget the world of humans; a new stable portal has just opened up. Phantom might have gone there."_

* * *

"Dude, you alright?" the strange voice broke into the prince's thoughts.

Phantom snapped opened emerald eyes and gazed at the two humans before him. One was a girl with a stricken expression of grief on her face. She was pale, with short raven hair and eyes the color of amethysts. Her clothes were of a darkened nature; she was what Clockwork, his guardian, called a goth.

The boy, on the other hand, was dressed in olive trousers and a yellow shirt with a red beret on his head. His dark frames accented his green eyes, belying his mixed heritage. He had a look of fear and awe on his face.

"Danny, I think you should look in the mirror," the girl said in a quiet tone. "I think you're a ghost."

Phantom raised dark eyebrows at her, but walked over to the mirror in the corner above a small old-fashioned sink. "I look normal to me."

"Dude, how are we going to explain this to your parents. They're ghost hunters, for crying out loud," the boy expressed in words what his emotions could not. "Sam, help me out here."

Sam poked Phantom in the shoulder. He turned it intangible, her hand passed through him. He stared back at her. "Cold," she commented. "Definitely, a ghost."

"Danny!" came the bellowing voice of an older human male from above them. "I had better not find you monkeying around with anything down there, young man."

Both human teens panicked, eyes darting from the stairs to the ghost of their friend.

"Can you change back?" Tucker asked.

"Take human form?" Phantom queried in response. "My father has that ability. I have never tried it before."

"I think the portal fried his brain," Tucker said to Sam.

"Here, this should help you," Sam said, closing the space between them Wrapping her arms around his neck, she placed her lips upon his and drew him in for a deep kiss.

Phantom felt her warmth, the beating of her heart against his cold form. The sound of footsteps coming downwards jerked them apart. He looked up into the shocked eyes of a human male and female, about twenty years his senior.

"The portal!" came the exclamation before azure eyes swung his way. "Danny, you could have been killed."

"Surprise," he heard himself say, then glanced at himself in the mirror quickly. Gone were his soft leathers. Replacing them were trousers of a coarse denim cloth and a short tunic shirt of cotton fibers. His hair was black, like his mother's, but his eyes were soft blue, a shade lighter than his father's in his human form.

"I'm human!" he exclaimed.

"Of course, you are, sweetie," the woman exclaimed. "You'd think you'd seen a ghost. Run along upstairs, dear. Your father and I need to check the portal's statistics."

"This is nuts," Phantom exclaimed, once they were upstairs. "I understand nothing of what is happening to me. Some rite of passage this is turning out to be."

"Danny, you are lucky to be alive," Sam told him, placing a warm hand on his shoulder. "I can't understand what has changed in you, but please, know that I am sorry for having dared you to go into the portal."

Tucker nodded in agreement. "We're always here for you, Danny. Maybe you got some super cool ghost powers."

Phantom glared at him. "For the last time, human, my name is Phantom, not Daniel or Danny or whatever you keep calling me. I want to go home."

He sat down on the bed, crossed his arms and looked up at the ceiling. "Desiree," he murmured, so softly, that Sam and Tucker barely heard him, engrossed in their own conversation. "I wish you were here."

"I don't think this is Danny," Sam whispered. "It's like this ghost half of his has a whole nother personality."

"Maybe a ghost fused with his DNA when the portal opened?" Tucker suggested. "If so, then who is he?"

"He said his name was Phantom," Sam observed, thinking back a few minutes. "Question is: what are we going to do if the ghosts come looking for him?"

"He's permanently fused together with our Danny," Tucker added. "We do what best friends do: stick together."

Phantom, oblivious to the conversation, continued to stare up at the ceiling thinking back to his almost kiss with Desiree and his true first kiss with the human girl, Sam. He knew that he had become a halfa-a ghost/human hybrid. He'd never truly could belong to either world again.

Master Clockwork would have the answers.

Just maybe.

If he ever got back home.


	2. Merging

Old and New Love

By: Wilona Riva

Disclaimer: Danny Phantom belongs to Butch Hartman, Nickelodeon, etc.

* * *

**Merging**

* * *

It was now late evening. Sam and Tucker had been sent home with much on their minds, casting nervous looks Danny's way. Would he be alright? Phantom, in the aftermath, was still reeling in the newness of his halfa-state and with examining the mirror and the possession of the mortal boy he was soon to completely merge with.

Phantom circled the mirror, staring at his human image in the reflective glass. "This cannot be me."

_Why not? This is how we've always looked._

Phantom froze, one hand clutching the mirror frame for support. "Excuse me?"

_Hey, I'm just shocked by all this the same as you. Oh, and I'm Danny, by the way. The human half of us._

"You're actually aware of everything that is going on?"

_Of course, as you will be, when I get control of my body back._

Phantom scowled at his human appearance. "I hate this."

_As do I, but these were the cards Life dealt us. We must make the most of it. Being a ghost is kinda cool if you think about it. _

Suddenly Phantom fell to the ground with a sharp cry, pain twisting his guts from the inside. He hissed through his clenched teeth. "No, not now."

_What's going on? I can't. Too much pain. AHHH!_

"Stop screaming," Phantom muttered, "it's just our two halves merging into one."

Seconds later, his own screams echoed into reality.

* * *

King Plasmius slammed the door and turned angry red eyes onto his wife. "Alright, Nicole, where is our son?"

"I know not where the magic has sent him, my lord," she said, "but I can feel his pain."

"As can I," came the quiet whisper. "I know you wanted an alliance with Aragon and his people. I am sorry if I hurt your feelings."

Queen Nicole shook like a leaf as her husband advanced on her. He grabbed her by both shoulders and shook her roughly. "Woman, you have gone too far this time. I should lock you up like your father."

"Vlad, please no!"

"Have you tried searching for him?" the Ghost King asked, gesturing at the mirror.

"Yes, but something blocks my vision."

* * *

"I can only hope Desiree can find him before something truly terrible happens."

* * *

"Jack!" Maddie heard the hard thump from overhead.

"What?" her goggled husband asked, looking up from the machine he was tinkering with. "Tell me this isn't about letting Jazz go to that Bookworm's Symposium in Atlanta. I thought we'd discussed this."

Danny's screams drowned out his next words.

"DANNY!"

Both parents dropped what they were doing and ran up the stairs.

"I knew that portal did something to him," Jack muttered to himself.

Maddie said nothing; her thoughts were focused on reaching her baby boy in time.

* * *

"Time Master?" Desiree's voice echoed through the hallowed halls of the most revered figure in the Ghost Zone. "Please, be here."

No one appeared to be at home, when she floated into a chamber filled with all manners of ticking devices, no furnishings save for three glowing portals at one end of the room.

"Past, present, and future," Clockwork's cold calculating voice said from behind her, causing her to jump. "It's like a parade really."

"Time Master, I need help finding Prince Phantom. We had just begun his right of passage, when he was taken. Dark magic was the source, we believe," Desiree explained.

"He is where he is supposed to be," Clockwork said, indicating the middle portal. Two ghost hunters were in the act of moving a comatose mortal child in his early teens to his bed.

"He's taken a human form," Desiree whispered. "It is rumored that King Plasmius has one, so theoretically Prince Phantom should have one too."

"Not quite," Clockwork said. "He's merged his essence with that child. In that world, he is known as Daniel. At birth, his soul was split into two. When Queen Nicole cast the dark spell banishing the child from your presence, courtesan, I intercepted it and reunited them. What was two are now one."

"Then I will go and bring him home," Desiree replied. "The king has charged me with this task."

"I will not forbid this," Clockwork said. "He may return home if he completes the rite of passage."

The portal into the past showed Prince Phantom stumbling out a portal, then receiving his first kiss by a mortal girl. "Ugh!" Desiree muttered in disgust. "How revolting."

Clockwork chuckled. "I will send you into the timestream a few months after these events have occured. It will give the prince some time to have healed from the merger and gain some control over his emerging powers."

"Thank you, Master of Time," Desiree said, kissing the old man, causing him to blush. It had been quite awhile since someone had done that.


	3. Short Stack, Sausage and Coffee

Old and New Love

By: Wilona Riva

Disclaimer: Danny Phantom belongs to Butch Hartman, Nickelodeon, etc.

* * *

**Short Stack, Sausage and Coffee**

* * *

"Short stack, sausage and coffee, please," Danny said, placing his order at the breakfast table.

His mother turned around and gave him a half-smile. "Coffee's going to stunt your growth. Cereal and milk are on the table."

Danny laughed; something he'd rarely done in the last few months since the accident. "Humans are wonderful. Can't digest fiber, but have to eat it."

Maddie smirked. "We humans eat what we can, Mr. Phantom, so eat up."

Danny paused in the act of opening up the box of cereal. She couldn't know, could she? After all, he did have two memories flowing through his veins. Nah, he didn't think so. Besides, if he didn't hurry, he'd be late to meet Tucker at the carnival.

Barring any ghost attacks.

* * *

The fortune teller stared down at the exotic lamp sitting on the table in her booth. It had come into her possession some time ago by an old gentleman who was very good at telling what was to come. And he didn't need the cards to do it.

The wishing ghost would live again soon. All she had to do was wait for the boy.

And here he came. Right on time, with his mortal friend.

"Hello, Prince Phantom," came the greeting as Danny and Tucker walked by the fortune teller's stall.

He froze, then backtracked. "What did you just call me?"

"Your name is Daniel, Prince Phantom," came the reply. "And your friend is Tucker Foley, one of only two who know who you truly are."

Tucker stared at her. "Huh?"

"I am a fortune teller. I know these things," she told him flatly.

"Oh."

"Prince of all ghosts, I have a gift and a message from Father Time for you," she said.

_Clockwork, here, now? Does this mean...Father!_

"What is the message?" he asked the gypsy woman.

"To return home, you must complete the rite of passage," she quoted, noting the blush staining the boy's cheeks a nice strawberry. "And take this bottle as a gift. It contains one who can make all your wishes come true."

The bottle was thrust into his hands.

"Uh, thanks," Danny stammered, not sure what to do with the odd gift.

"Here's two dollars," Tucker said, throwing the bills at the fortune teller. "I want to try the color wheel game. Come on, Danny." Saying that, the African-American teen dragged the unprotesting son of the local ghost hunters away.

* * *

Clockwork, in the meanwhile, was meeting with King Vlad and Queen Nicole to give them an update on their son's whereabouts.

"He will come home soon," he said, changing from an old man to a child. "I have sent Desiree to him. Once the rite of passage is complete, he will return. But be forewarned, he has been forever changed."

"In what way?" Vlad asked, red-rimmed eyes swollen with dried tears. He'd long ago given up hope of finding his son, despite the rumors floating around the Zone from the peskier ghosts who swore they saw him-and fought against him-in the mortal world.

Clockwork shook his head. "I am forbidden to say by the Observants."

Queen Nicole looked up demurely at her lord. "Shall I try once more?"

"No," both ghosts told her.

"Events must play out as they were meant too," Clockwork added. Vlad nodded.

"Thank you, Time Master, for everything," the Ghost King said.


	4. Elysian Fire

Old and New Love

By: Wilona Riva

Disclaimer: Danny Phantom belongs to Butch Hartman, Nickelodeon, etc.

* * *

**Elysian Fire**

* * *

"How was the carnival, Danny?" Maddie called out, upon hearing the front door slam.

"Fine," came the reply. "Tucker paid two bucks to a fortune teller to tell me some weird garbage that was supposed to be my future. She gave me some old lamp and told me it contained 'one who would make all my wishes come true' or something like that."

Tucker stuck his head into the kitchen doorway. "And I won a stuffed tiger at the color wheel game. Danny threw up after riding the Avalanche."

Maddie smiled as her son appeared and yanked his best friend back. "Can it," he replied. "At least I didn't throw up after eating 6 corndogs and 3 funnel cakes."

"Hey, Sam wasn't there to hold me back!"

Maddie hid a smile. "Where is Sam anyway?"

"Some corporate big wig invited her parents to a party," came the reply. Danny made a face, remembering Sam's wailing on and on about the horrendous hot-pink sunshine yellow flowered monstrosity (with bows!) her parents were forcing her to wear.

"That bad, huh?" Maddie asked, noticing the antique lamp in her son's hands.

"Yeah," Tucker said, before Danny opened his mouth. "Looks expensive, Mrs. F., but really, it is glue and cheap metal and glass."

Danny nodded vigorously, before Tucker dragged him upstairs. "Hey!"

"You owe me a game of Doom, dude."

Maddie stared after them. "Most peculiar," she murmured, thinking she had seen that bottle somewhere before.

* * *

Upstairs in Danny's room, the two teenage boys stared down at the genie's lamp that had been thrust upon them. It looked cool sitting on Danny's desk sitting amongst the ruins of another one of his model rocket kits.

"So, what do you think she meant by rite of passage?" Tucker said, breaking the silence.

"When a ghost is ready, he or she is presented to the populace and chooses a first companion," Danny said, lightly tracing the strange lyrical script on the lamp's lid. "Mine was to be Desiree, the courtesan. Didn't work out-I ended up here."

"It's not so bad in the human world," Tucker reassured him.

"No, it is not," Danny agreed. "Darn, I can't read what this says. Let me polish it up a bit."

"I don't think that's a good idea," Tucker warned, too late, a thin form of pink smoke began to emerge from the lamp's lip. "Uh, Danny..."

Danny's breath was instantly visible and he changed to his ghost form. Soft velvet lips tasting of honey and spice pressed themselves to his. He opened his mouth to protest and the kisser deepened the kiss.

"Prince Phantom, at last, I have found you," a woman murmured, breaking the soft assault on his senses.

"Des," he moaned, moving closer to her. "Please."

"So you have wished it, so shall it be."


	5. Silken Snow

Old and New Love

By: Wilona Riva

Disclaimer: Danny Phantom belongs to Butch Hartman, Nickelodeon, etc.

* * *

**Silken Snow**

* * *

During the kiss with Desiree, Danny involuntarily shifted into his spectral form. "Des," he murmured, "I can taste honey and spices."

"And you, Prince Phantom, have hair as soft as silken snow," she whispered back. She pulled away from him, revealing a star-filled sky. Palm trees were everywhere growing beside a small pool at the base of a high multi-colored cascading waterfall. Everything glowed here, so he knew he wasn't in the human world anymore.

She led him gently to a large canopy beneath the palms made of lavender, white and blue silky material. She opened the tent, revealing a cozy interior consisting of several cushions, a table of wine, fruit, and cheese, and glass and gem decorations. There were some other things, but Desiree lowered him to the cushioned floor.

"Des, where are we?" Danny asked her startled at her behavior.

"My home," she told him, before intoxicating him again with her scent. "Where none may disturb us." She tilted his head back for deeper access; he moaned in pleasure.

"Desiree!" he cried, arching his back. Strange emotions flickered through his body like fire.

* * *

"Okay, Tucker, run through it again. What happened to Danny?" Maddie said to the frightened teen before her seated in the kitchen chair.

He took a sip of the lemonade she had given him, then put the glass on the table-his hands were trembling too much. "Thank you, Mrs. Fenton."

"You're welcome, Tucker. Now what happened upstairs?"

Tucker took a deep breath. "You remember that lamp Danny got from the fortune teller at the fair today?"

"Yes."

"Well, Danny saw some writing on it and decided to polish it so he could see it better. Some pink smoke appeared and this gorgeous Arabian woman appeared, you know like from that Disney movie Aladdin? Well, she took one look at Danny and called him Prince Phantom and then kissed him."

"A genie appeared and kissed my son?" Maddie asked with amusement. "What did Danny do?"

"He kissed her back. Called her Des or something," Tucker said. "He said something about please, and she said something about 'so you have wished it' and then they were gone."

"Hold on one second, Tucker," Maddie said, "I need to get something from the lab." What Tucker was telling was all too familiar. She ran downstairs and flicked on the light. In a corner of the lab was a door which led to a library of sorts that she had slowly added too over time. Searching through the books, she selected one, turned off the lights and hurried back upstairs.

"Go and get that lamp," she ordered the African-American teen, who jumped up and came back a few minutes later, out of breath, with the lamp.

Maddie stared hard at it, then flipped a few pages in the book. "I knew this was familiar. This is the lamp of a wish-granting ghost named Desiree, who was once a courtesan to a powerful sultan in her mortal life before his wife banished her from the kingdom. She died a bitter death at a grand old age. Damn! I wish I hadn't shut down the ghost alarm for repairs." She bit her lip thoughtfully as she contemplated her next step.

* * *

Desiree slowly removed the boy's boots and gloves while flashing him a flirty look with her eyes. "How are the wine and cheese, Prince Phantom?"

"Delicious, Des," he said, swallowing before he answered her. "Though I'm not of legal age to be drinking yet."

She laughed and sat down beside him. "Doesn't that feel better?"

"I guess so."

"You are of age in our world, Prince Phantom. Here, let me do that for you," she said reaching over him to pick up a bit of fruit. "The most luscious of grapes from the Far Frozen for you, my prince," she said.

"I didn't know they grew grapes there," he said, surprised.

"Their hot houses are among the famous of the surprises which come from Frostbite's people," she answered. "Here, have a taste."

He allowed her to place it in his mouth, a scene which was eerily familiar to him. His eyes half closed. "You're seducing me."

Her laughter rang in his ears. "That is the idea, my prince. Come, lay beside me."

Danny allowed himself to be pulled into a deeper part of the canopy, full of softer cushions. He lowered himself beside her, placing his head against her breasts as he would against a pillow. "I'm sleepy, Des."

The courtesan stroked his snowy white hair. "Then sleep, Prince Phantom. We have all the time in the world to complete the ritual."

* * *

"So what do we do, Mrs. Fenton?" Tucker asked.

"Rub the lamp, I suppose," she said, picking up the antique artifact. Moments later, two ghosts appeared in her kitchen. One was the rascally teen spirit, Phantom, who she and Jack had been trying to catch for months. The other was a dark-haired Arabian beauty in full harem costume. She looked up at the human with surprise.

Maddie quickly put two and two together. Rounding on Tucker, she asked, "Was there something else you forgot to mention?"

Tucker took a long sip of his lemonade before answering her. "Surprise?"


	6. Return

Old and New Love

By: Wilona Riva

Disclaimer: Danny Phantom belongs to Butch Hartman, Nickelodeon, etc.

* * *

**Return**

* * *

The cushions were gone and it was much brighter. Danny shifted uncomfortably in his sleep. Soft hands gently rubbed his back.

"Prince Phantom, you must awake now," his lover's gentle voice whispered in his ear. "I have need of you to make a wish."

"How could you hide from me and my husband the fact that the ghost we've been hunting all this time was our own _**son**_, Tucker Foley?" a mortal woman's voice pierced the fogginess in his brain.

"Des?" He asked sleepily. "Where are we?"

"My lamp fell into the hands of a ghost hunter, my prince," Desiree said, glaring at the humans screeching at each other. "She means to harm us, my lord. Make a wish, my prince, to be in another place, but don't forget the lamp."

Phantom opened his eyes and blinked at the sudden brightness of the flourescent lighting. The lamp was on the table right beside the humans. "I'll get it," he mumbled, rising to his feet.

The human woman chose this moment to turn and saw him. "Phantom."

"Huh?"

"Young man, just what in the hell did you think you were doing? You are too young to be thinking of engaging in this kind of activity, with a ghost of all creatures. How could you?"

Tucker watched his best friend shake his head trying to clear the cobwebs from his mind. He knew that though Danny had merged with his ghost half, he still had two lifetimes of memories to sift through. Looks like he had chosen to be Phantom for the time being.

"Prince Phantom."

Phantom turned from the human woman to the younger human male. "Tucker?"

"She's the mother of your human half," Tucker clarified, "and I am his best friend-your best friend. She doesn't know about the rite of passage."

Desiree watched in silence as her young lover warred with himself for a moment, then changed back to human. Danny picked up the lamp and gave it to her.

"Go," he told her. "You have your lamp back."

"You must wish it, my prince," she murmured, catching him off-guard and pressing her lips to his. He tasted the honey and spices once more.

"Daniel James Fenton!" his mother yelled.

"I wish you would return to my parents and tell them of all that has transpired; I wish your lamp to travel with you," he said.

She smiled. "So you have wished it, so shall it be."

Maddie watched in horror as her son vanished along with the wish-granting ghost and the lamp. "This has gone far enough," she said, stomping her foot.

"What are you going to do, Mrs. Fenton?" Tucker asked. She was a very, very scary woman sometimes.

"Take the Specter Speeder for its maiden voyage, of course," she said sweetly. "And since you hid this from me, you get to help test it out."

"Sweet!" Tucker said, jumping up from the chair. "Let's go."

Maddie's mouth twitched slightly. The boy was a little too exuberant at times, but he was going to make a great ghost hunter for the next generation.

* * *

Vladimir felt the strange presence of someone, no, two someones teleport into his throne room. Motioning to the Fright Knight, he ordered, "Go and find out who it is."

"Yes, Plasmius," the Spirit of Halloween said. He bowed low and vanished.

"Nicole," Vlad said, turning back to his wife. "Please, darling, quit berating yourself. Our son will come home. Clockwork has assured us of this."

"What happens if he comes home without completing the ritual?" she asked angrily.

"Then we'll give him and Desiree the privacy they need," her husband replied.

"He's half-ghost!" Nicole Dark yelled at him. "He merged with a human boy."

"And so he did," Vlad told her. "Clockwork explained all that just over an hour ago."

"My baby's half human," she wailed.

"Here we go again," Vlad muttered, rubbing his temples as the beginnings of a migraine flared up.

* * *

"Whoa, will you look at this place?" Tucker said, "Kind of like the Twilight Zone, just without the black and white color scheme."

Maddie turned another knob on the console and activated the autoJack. "Come, we need to get ourselves ready."

* * *

"Desiree?" the voice of the Fright Knight revealed his shock. "And Prince Phantom?"

"Fright Knight," the half-ghost growled, shifting to his spectral half. White hair was suddenly ruffled. "Hey, not the hair, Des."

"You always did hate that," she teased. "Cafan, go and tell their majesties, Prince Phantom has come home."

The Fright Knight's yellow eyes danced for joy. "At last." He paused. "Has the ritual been...?"

Desiree shook her head sadly. "No, the humans interrupted."

"Then the king's orders are to get up to the Prince's chambers and stabilize his core."

"Archaic barbarian warlord."

"Gorgeous Arabian wench."

"You know it," she said, laughing, pulling a stunned Danny Phantom to his feet. "Come, my prince."

Danny looked with fright at the Fright Knight, who wiggled his fingers goodbye at him, just before the doors to the room closed behind them.

* * *

"Who was it?" Plasmius demanded, anger rising at being disturbed. He had just gotten Nicole to fall asleep in the interval he'd been gone.

The Fright Knight whispered his encounter to his liege of the events in the throne room "She's taken him to his chambers."

Plasmius breathed a sigh of relief. "At last," he murmured, "at last."

* * *

"Desiree?" Danny was hesitant to even ask the question.

"Yes, Prince Phantom?" the wishing ghost purred.

"Will you kiss me again?"

"With pleasure, my prince."

"Can I ask you another question, Des?"

She sighed. "Go ahead."

"Why do you need a lamp in the human world? All the times we've fought before, you've never needed one."

"Daniel."

"Yes?"

"Shut up and come here."


	7. Clock Tower

Old and New Love

By: Wilona Riva

Disclaimer: Danny Phantom belongs to Butch Hartman, Nickelodeon, etc.

* * *

**Clock Tower**

* * *

Author's Note: If you find errors, let me know so I can correct it. Thank you.

* * *

The Ghost Zone's eerie green and black swirls stretched on forever. The purple doors, in this region were few and far between. Maddie sighed.

"How are we even going to find him in all this swirling void?" Tucker asked. "This place is huge."

"We're just going to have to stop and ask for directions, I suppose," Maddie said.

"From whom?" Tucker demanded.

"From whatever ghost lives there," Maddie said, pointing at the faint image of an island shimmering into view. A tower made of stone and metal with a clockwork gear sticking out of one of its turrets had a light shining in one of its windows.

"A ghostly lighthouse," Tucker whispered. "This is so cool."

"Yes, but who among the ghosts knows we're here?" Maddie said, frowning.

"I don't care," Tucker said. "Set the coordinates for that tower. Whoever lives there has to know where to find Danny."

"Setting the coordinates, captain," Maddie teased.

* * *

"Des, I need air," he whispered, breaking away from her. The djinni woman pulled away from him.

"As you wish, my prince," she said.

Danny looked desperately at the doors to the ornate chambers they were currently trapped in. A faint amber glow surrounded them. "Trapped," he muttered, eyes darting to the windows; the same amber glow surrounded them as well.

"No," the green-skinned courtesan whispered, pulling him back into her embrace. "Sealed until the ritual is complete."

* * *

"A lighthouse with a parking garage," Tucker said, whistling. "Man, these ghosts think of everything."

"Visitors are few and far between here, mortals," a one-eye ghost with olive-green skin said, holding up an old-fashioned oil lantern said, stepping from the shadows to his right.

"I am one of the Observants, an aid to the Master of Time," he added, seeing the human woman level a shiny ecto-gun at him. "We mean you no harm. Come." He turned and motioned for them to follow him up the stairs that shimmered into view.

Maddie kept one hand on the trigger, and glanced at Tucker. "We don't have a choice if this Master of Time knew we were coming."

"Kinda weird, but I agree," Tucker said. "What choice do we have?"

* * *

"I have drawn your bath, Prince Phantom," Desiree told him sultrily from the opposite door. Danny was sitting on the bed removing his socks and boots, his gloves next to him.

"Thank you, Des," he said. "I took a shower this morning. I don't see why I have to bathe again."

"Ritual purity, my prince," she explained, taking over the removal of his clothing.

"What is that smell?" Danny said, catching a whiff of the incense she'd lighted.

"It is an herb called wood betony, Prince Phantom," she said, taking off his last boot. "Lift your arms."

He obeyed as she took off his shirt, then his belt. "What is the herb for?" he asked.

"It will protect you from dark and negative energy, Prince Phantom. The smoke will purify your body and your core. If you place it under your pillow, it will shield you from dreams."

"Uh, Des, what are you doing?" he asked, when she had pulled him to his feet.

"Removing your trousers and undergarments, my prince. You very well can't bathe with your clothes on, can you?"

Danny groaned and stared up at the ceiling.

* * *

"Wait, here," the Observant said. "The Master of Time will come soon."

The room the humans were left in was one only a rare few ever saw. A circular pool of silver water shimmered in the moonlight which shown through the earth sky above them. The walls were actually trunks of trees and the floor was the earthen soil.

"Are we back on earth?" Tucker wondered.

"I don't think so," Maddie said.

"You are correct," a strong male voice said, "I am Clockwork, called by some, the Time Master."

"You control Time?" Maddie queried the child who floated into the room.

"No," he said, changing into an old man. "I am only its guardian; no one, but the Great One, can control Time."

"Where is Danny?" Maddie asked.

"There," the ghost said, shifting into a young man this time. He pointed at the pool. In its silvery still waters, Maddie watched the wishing ghost hold a silver chalice to her son's lips.

"Was it that he is drinking?" she wondered.

"It's love potion #9," Tucker crowed. "That movie was a hit!"

Clockwork chuckled. "Of a sort," he replied. "It's only a tea made from rose petals steeped in spring water."

"Where are his clothes?" Maddie yelled, suddenly seeing her son's nakedness.

"Ah, the purification bath," Clockwork murmured. "She's gotten to this part, at last."


	8. Secret Written in the Stars

Old and New Love

By: Wilona Riva

Disclaimer: Danny Phantom belongs to Butch Hartman, Nickelodeon, etc.

* * *

_For CashAsh13. Thanks for suggesting the uses of sage and lavendar._

* * *

**Secret Written in the Stars**

* * *

"It is a secret written in the stars," Clockwork answered Maddie when she asked what was so special about her son. His pupiless crimson eyes bore into her own pale periwinkle ones. "His soul was divided when he was born. One half to the mortal world, you know as Daniel Fenton, your son, and the other half to the ghost world, our prince, Phantom. When I saved him from Queen Nicole's banishing spell, I united those two halves. Two lifelines flow through his veins. Will you accept him for himself or should I seek another guardian for him?"

Maddie shook her head. Ever since she'd seen that image of Danny naked with a full-grown, full-endowed ghost woman, she'd lost it and attacked the Master of Time. Clockwork reacted and sent her sprawling to the earth and frozen time. When time restarted, she found she had no voice, until one minute ago.

Tucker was amused by all this and stayed out of the Time Master's battle with the ghost huntress. The portal's screen was now blank.

"So do you think Danny's parents will let us see him?" he asked, breaking the stillness of the forest room.

"Perhaps when the rite is complete," Clockwork replied, fixing unblinking eyes on the portal. "That is something they must decide for themselves."

"You're annoying, you know that?"

"So I have been told."

* * *

Desiree softly kneaded the back of her prince's neck, the strands of wet ivory stroking her carmine fingertips. "Feels good, doesn't it?" she asked, whispering in his ear.

"Hmmm," he murmured, eyes half-closed. The incense had long since burned out; its smoke having worked its magic in calming his anxiety. The warmth of the water added its own charm to the rite's purification.

Desiree reached for a bottle containing a creamy golden-green cream. These were some of the few pleasures she allowed herself from the human world. Herbs were as much a part of magic as were spells and charms.

She reached over into the water.

Danny's eyes snapped open when her hands brushed his inner thighs. "Dangerously close, Des," he said, jumping a bit at the touch of her cold fingers.

She grinned; midnight hair falling over one crimson eye as she bent over him. "Not a bit, when the sponge has fallen into the wrong place, my prince."

"What is that?" he asked, noticing the bottle in her hands.

"A sage body wash, Danny," she explained, using his mortal name. "It has a little bit of lemon zest in it to help awaken your body's senses. It also will calm your core; you have been much stressed of late."

"No kidding," Danny muttered, leaning back in the large tub, allowing Desiree access to his chest.

* * *

"Majesty, a missive from the Time Lord," Fright Knight said, knocking on the door of the king's chambers.

"Well, read it, man!" Plasmius, all but jumped out of the bed.

Opening the scroll, Fright Knight cleared his voice and read:

_A mortal woman and a human child will seek to visit the prince. They will come soon. All will be explained then._

"It's short and too wide of the point," Vlad said, rubbing his chin. He glanced down at his sleeping wife and caressed her hand. "Ready the guest chambers. I weary of these games and just wish my son were not the nexus of all our hopes."

"As you will, my liege."

* * *

Prince Phantom rose from the waters with water and oil dripping from his glistening skin. He was a golden apricot in a bowl of overripe fruit, Desiree decided. Delicious.

"I have crushed lavendar in the bedsheets, my prince," she told him. "It too will provide the calmness you need."

"The rite sounds painful," he told her.

"A young ghost's first time usually is," she reminded him. She handed him some white silk trousers with midnight blue embroidery around the edges of the waistband. "Your chest must be bare for therein resides your core."

He blushed. "Desiree!"

Her gay laughter rang in his ears as he felt himself led to the large bed in the center of the room. She pressed another chalice to his lips, this time, filled with ordinary water.

"Drink deep, Prince Phantom. This shall be a long evening for you."


	9. Daniel's Rite

Old and New Love

By: Wilona Riva

Disclaimer: Danny Phantom belongs to Butch Hartman, Nickelodeon, etc.

* * *

_For my roommate, who desperately keeps asking me to turn this into a lemon. Not going to happen and seriously, she needs to get some mind bleach. For the rest of you, here's some more DannyxDesiree fun. There's one or two more chapters after this one. ^_~_

* * *

**Daniel's Rite**

* * *

Desiree led her young lover to the large ornate bed in the sleeping chambers next door. Its sheets were sprinkled with crushed lavendar petals. She turned him to face her and pushed him gently down onto the bed. "Lay down, sweet prince. Tonight will be beyond imagining."

Danny obeyed, knowing that the courtesan would not hurt him. He began to shiver. This was his core exhibiting the first wild signs of instability.

"It is," she confirmed, laying down next to him. She positioned him to where they lay intimately, core to core. "The energy is going to build, my prince. I will try to keep you warm, but you must expel the excess energy you have built up."

He shuddered again and snuggled closer to her; his head leaning on her breast.

_If only you were older, Prince Phantom, oh the things I could show you,_ Desiree thought, tracing the waistband on his trousers. She shifted their positions, so he was facing away from her. Soon, very soon, he was going to blast something and she didn't want it to be her. One hand lazily caressed his core, massaging it in a calm, comforting manner.

It came not long after. Prince Phantom cried out and unleashed a wave of ice, which coated everything in the room, but them, in a sheet of frost. A second wave soon followed, then he collapsed, the energy spent until it built up again.

Desiree surveyed the winterscape the room had changed to. Her eyes widened. Two waves of ghost energy had done this? How much more was her young prince to suffer through before his ice core stabilized? She couldn't undo what he'd done, but she could unmelt the fireplace long enough to start a small blaze going. She reached for the thick fur coverlet at the foot of the bed, positioning her prince to where he was lying on his back and covered him, leaving his core bare. Standing up, she moved to tend to the fire.

A hand reached out and grabbed hers, pulling her back into the bed. "No, Des," he murmured, tenderly. He yanked her back into the bed and pressed his lips to hers.

"Prince Phantom!"

* * *

"Nicole?" Vlad whispered, as she opened her eyes. "I have some important news for you."

"The wards are up," she mumbled. "I can feel them."

"Yes," her husband told her. "He's been found. Desiree is with him."

"There can never be an alliance between our peoples," she said, turning her head away.

"There still can be," Plasmius said, "just probably not with a wedding. Aragon will understand."

"After we put out a few fires," the Fright Knight grumbled. "The chambers are ready, my liege. The humans should be here shortly. The hunter seeks a moment of your time."

Vlad sighed heavily. "What is it, this time?"

"Probably the usual," came the annoyed response. "Shall I send him away?"

Queen Nicole closed her eyes; her pale cheeks soaked in tears. "This is all my fault."

Both male ghosts looked at her and then at each other. Neither of them confirmed nor denied it.

* * *

Desiree gently pushed him away. "You are not of full age, my prince," she said, knowing he wanted more. His cryokinesis was building up again and this time, the wintery blast would be much worse than the light snow already dusting the room. "You must focus, Prince Phantom, or we could die."

"Desiree," he murmured sleepily, "why do I feel these urges so strongly?"

"If you are talking about the sexual urges, Danny, then that is normal. Your mother wishes to make an alliance with the House of Aragon, so I will honor her wishes and keep you pure. If I have touched you wrongly, I am sorry."

"I feel strange, Des," he whispered. "It both frightens and excites me."

"There are aspects of the ritual that call for things which are yet beyond your current mortal age, my prince. Those you may not engage in. I have teased and seduced you; a small taste, nothing more."

Prince Phantom's emerald eyes turned the color of winter ice. Twin blasts of cryokinetic energy shot forth and turned the fireplace into a gigantic ice cube. "Uh, sorry, Des."

"Well, it's a good thing I haven't tended to it yet," she deadpanned.

* * *

"So what is the difference between a human's heart and a ghost's core?" Tucker asked Mrs. Fenton as she made a turn past a creepy looking castle.

"They have essentially the same functions," Maddie responded, "but a ghost's core is something a bit more-it is his very soul."

"So, if say, a teenage ghost hits puberty and his core grows in power, what happens if he is interrupted in whatever ritual ceremony he goes through in order to stabilize it?"

"He will die," the Fright Knight answered before Maddie could ask Tucker how he knew such a thing. "I am here to guide you to our king's dwelling place. Forgive me for the intrusion."

"I swear," Maddie growled, "my hair is going to turn fully white before I'm fifty."

* * *

Desiree pulled the coverlet over them and pulled her young shivering lover against her. "I am here," she whispered. She noted the dimming of the seals over the entryway and smiled. "Sleep, sweet prince. I promise you the worst is over."

She rubbed his back until his breathing pattern became slower and more rhythmic. When she was sure he was asleep, she called forth a sphere of light, which recorded the scenes from the room and then teleported it to the Time Master. Prince Phantom was not a normal ghost, and this was no ordinary rite of passage.


	10. Spheres and Hunters and Ghosts, Oh My!

Old and New Love

By: Wilona Riva

Disclaimer: Danny Phantom belongs to Butch Hartman, Nickelodeon, etc.

* * *

**Spheres and Hunters and Ghosts, Oh My!**

* * *

The sphere floated into the hands of the Clockwork Chronos, Master of All Time, Keeper of the Time Stream, and servant of the Observant Council. He examined the tiny flickering images and smiled at the love Desiree showered on the young prince.

When he had plucked the young prince from the core of the Ghost Zone and sundered him into his mortal and spectral aspects, he had sought suitable parents for both halves. The hunters, Jack and Maddie Fenton, would give him the knowledge of the mortal plane and the fighting skills he'd need to survive, all the while nurturing the part of him that allowed him to keep a cool head, a keen intellect, and a heart of love.

He had taken a wisp of the cores of the Ghost King and Queen and melded them with Daniel's spectral core and implanted it within the womb of the queen. Prince Phantom learned from his spectral family and friends about the spirits of ghosts and how their powers were developed from youth on. He learned to respect authority, how to guide nations, and how to be ruthless and gentle when needed.

He examined the tiny flickering images again.

Desiree had done well.

* * *

Maddie Fenton and Tucker Foley gaped at the awesomeness that was Pariah's Keep. Two thralls near the entrance moved aside to let them and the Nightmare Paladin pass.

"This place is so cool!" Tucker exclaimed.

The Fright Knight turned inquisitive amber eyes on the teenager. "Impressive, isn't it?"

"Yeah, hey!" Tucker's arm passed right through the wall. "What the heck?"

"In the ghost world, humans are the ghosts," the Fright Knight replied. "Follow me. Quarters have been set aside for you."

* * *

"What is it now?" Plasmius growled at the metal robotic ghost kneeling before him with flaming green flames styled in a mowhawk.

"You asked me to locate a suitable mate for Prince Phantom," his best friend answered. "I traveled to Perennia and discovered that the Ancient known as Undergrowth has a daughter the same age as Prince Phantom. Her name is Ciarda, meaning 'dark'. She too has underwent her rite of passage."

"Wherever did you find them, Skulker?" Plasmius asked.

"In the human world disguised as humans," Skulker replied, punching a button on his arm, a holographic imaged appeared showing a familiar family. "These are their human guises; the woman is Pamela, a human consort-Undergrowth keeps her for imagery's sake. He alters her memory with spores from his children."

"There's something you are not telling me," Vlad answered, folding his arms.

"Undergrowth's offspring is often seen in the accompaniment of your whelp when they are in human guise. She knows of his spectral form, but he does not know of hers. This, I have observed myself."

"I will speak to Nicole of this arrangement further. Go to the armory and take from it three items from the farthest table on the right. That is the price we agreed upon, is it not?"

"Yes," Skulker agreed. "Shall I make the arrangements for a meeting?"

"Yes," Plasmius told him. "Do so at your earliest convenience."

* * *

Author's Note: Okay, one more chapter and an epilogue to go.


	11. Daughter of the Ancient

Old and New Love

By: Wilona Riva

Disclaimer: Danny Phantom belongs to Butch Hartman, Nickelodeon, etc

* * *

**Daughter of the Ancient**

* * *

"Prince Phantom," came the musical voice in his dreams. "You must wish it, if you want to be warm."

"I do," he sleepily murmured. "Des, it's cold in here."

"You have expelled much energy yester evening, Daniel," she replied, "and the fire is roaring on the hearth. You must rise now. There are those you must see. Clothes and a warm bath await in the bathing chamber."

Danny opened his eyes to have Desiree tenderly kiss him on the forehead. He caught a flash of...he sat up quickly and rubbed his eyes. She laughed and vanished. He swung his head around the room and surveyed quite a bit of melted ice on the floor-a little bit was clinging to the blanket's edges. He grumbled and stood up. A mirror in the far corner revealed he was in human form once more.

He sighed. "Might as well," he grumbled, getting out of the bed. He could smell something delicious cooking somewhere in the castle.

* * *

"He is awake, my liege," the courtesan said, bowing low. "Much energy has he expelled this past evening. You must send him to be trained by the Ice Warriors of the Far Frozen. Only they can help him gain control of his new gifts."

"That is well and done," Nicole said, before Plasmius could get a word in edge-wise. "But how..."

"I have honored your wishes and kept him pure for the Dragon Princess," Desiree replied. "That was your wish, is it not?"

"At the time, we did desire such an alliance," King Plasmius answered, "but another, far greater, opportunity has arisen-we seek to wed Prince Phantom to the daughter of the Ancient known as Undergrowth."

"Ciarda," Nicole added, as understanding blossomed in her mind. "But first, we must speak with the mortal woman who nurtured our son these last few months. Desiree, will you go and speak with her on our behalf?"

"We will break our fast in the Rose Garden," King Plasmius decided. "Have everyone gather there."

Desiree bowed and left to carry out her task.

Tucker sniffed the air. "I smell sausage and bacon and all kinds of yummy things," he declared, as the smells of breakfast wafted up from the courtyard below. He watched as a table was set up beneath a blooming rose tree and places set for nine.

"That is because we will be breaking our fast in the Rose Garden," the genie ghost said, entering the chambers.

"Ever heard of knocking?" Tucker complained.

"Has the mortal woman arisen?" she queried, ignoring his complaint.

The sound of splashing water reached their ears.

"Mrs. Fenton's in the bath," Tucker explained, ears turning a bit red in embarrassment. "I'll go and tell her you're here. How's Danny?"

"Prince Phantom is fine,"she assured him. "I have kept him pure for the coming alliance which their Majesties wish to discuss with the mortal woman. We will await you in the garden in an hour's time."

"We will be there," Maddie's strong alto voice rang out from the cracked door of the bathing chamber.

Desiree bowed and vanished in a puff of pink mist.

* * *

"Ciarda," her father's gurgling voice rang out. "We are breaking fast with the royal family today. I believe it's in the Rose Garden; your favorite place to visit, if I remember correctly."

"Why do I have to meet Danny like this?" she wailed, coming out into her father's view.

Undergrowth could not see anything at all unusual with his daughter's attire. She wore a long, wrap-around sheath-type dress made of dark green leaves and heeled sandals made of cord and wood. She wore her customary dark makeup and maroon lipstick. Her midnight hair cascaded down to her back in soft curls and was pinned back at the temples with silver chips adorned with holly berries. "You are beautiful, darling."

"You don't even like Danny," she challenged.

"I did not know he and Prince Phantom were one and the same," her father answered. "Now, come, we are late." It had been late last evening when they arrived after the Time Master had come to him with the news. When the king's messenger arrived an hour later, he had all but shooed the poor boy out the door with a return letter.

Ciarda, had then, broken down and confessed all that she knew. He had been angry and impressed with her at the same time.

Ciarda and Prince Phantom would make an excellent match indeed.

* * *

The Rose Garden was beautiful, Danny had to admit, if he'd been paying more attention to where he was going. "Oof!" he muttered, colliding with another hard skull.

"Danny, oh man, am I glad to see you!" Tucker hugged him with a tight squeeze. "So did you make a home run?"

Danny's pale cheeks turned red as he gleaned what his best friend's words meant. "Tucker!"

"That's enough, from both of you," Maddie said, rounding the corner. "Young man..."

"Uh, Mom, uh, hi," Danny stammered, his mind going blank. "I guess I should have told you from the beginning."

"That would have helped," she said, gazing down at the boy. "Well, my human son has merged with a ghost prince and what's done is done."

"Sorry," he apologized. "As Prince Phantom, Mom, I didn't know this was going to happen. But I can promise you, I'm still a virgin. Desiree and I did nothing."

"Aw, nuts," Tucker swore, green eyes teasing. "Guess I still get a shot to be the first one to get some."

"In your dreams," Danny shot back. "We better get going. My parents are waiting."

Maddie nodded and the three of them continued their trek together.

* * *

Ciarda watched as the King and Queen of All Ghosts smothered their son with much kissing and embracing. Prince Phantom was cute in his human form. She felt the cold aura wash over her for a moment, the green of her leafy dress fading to brownish red at the edges. Queen Nicole dipped her head and whispered something to the Prince, who looked up at her in shocked surprise.

Prince Phantom. Danny. How she wished she could tell him who she really was.

"Hi, Sam," Tucker said, sitting down next to her.

"How'd you know it was me?" she whispered.

"You're mentally undressing Danny, like you always do," he replied.

"You have the mind of a lecherous old geezer," she hissed. "How'd you really know it's me?"

"The gold band, you're wearing," he said, tapping her hand. "Danny saved up for a whole year to buy that for you for your last birthday. That was just before he merged with Prince Phantom."

"Oh."

On their other side, Undergrowth was engaged in conservation with Maddie about the benefits of articifical horticulturalization. Both laughed at the quiet antics of the two teens sitting next to them and watched Danny talk with his ghostly parents.

"So you are not surprised," he noted.

"Oh, I am," she responded. "I've learned to adapt to any weird situation that arises when it comes to my family. Jack did knock us into another dimension once."

"I remember hearing about that," the Ancient replied. "Would you mind another surprise?"

"No, go ahead," she said, as his form blurred and another familiar man took his place. She looked from him to the ghostly girl with the pupiless emerald eyes sitting next to him. "Jeremy Manson, my, my. And this must be Sam."

"Hope you're not mad, Mrs. Fenton," Ciarda said, hearing the ghost huntress' amused tone.

"Not at all," Maddie answered. "I think it's time we all received some answers around here."

"And that is why I am here, dear woman," the Time Master said, stepping into the clearing.

Desiree smiled. That is why she loved the dear old man.


	12. Gift of Time

Old and New Love

By: Wilona Riva

Disclaimer: Danny Phantom belongs to Butch Hartman, Nickelodeon, etc

* * *

**Gift of Time**

* * *

"Daniel is my gift to both worlds," the Time Master said, moving his staff in arch above his head. The sky went dark, illuminating a soft glowing ball of light. Everyone felt the holiness of the light and bowed their heads respectfully.

"This is the core of the Ghost Zone, her soul, if you will. All souls, human and ghost, come and return to her. At the beginning of time, I plucked from her center, a seed, which I then sundered into its mortal and spectral aspects-Daniel and Prince Phantom. They are not two separate people, but two halves of the same whole."

"But why tell us this?" Undergrowth asked, in his human aspect.

"So that you might understand," came the tart reply.

Ciarda laughed into her sleeve. Danny shot her a bemused look. She blushed and ducked her head.

Tucker snickered. "Lovebirds."

Ciarda kicked him in the shin underneath the table. He yelped in pain, only to have Maddie shush him.

"The Ghost Zone needs to have a stable monarchy after having lived under Pariah Dark's tyranny for so long. That's why I made a bargain with the Heart for her seed. Daniel would have the best of both worlds, while understanding the harsh realities of both. In time, he and Ciarda will make many triumphs and discoveries, some not so sweet as a rose. I approve of the arrangement."

"Madeline Fenton, you have raised your son well," Clockwork beamed at her. "Though there is much you and yours could learn of us."

"I tried," she admitted. "Though it would have been nice if he'd told us right from the start." Here, she raised an eyebrow at her son, who vanished literally from sight. Queen Nicole whispered to the air in front of her and Prince Phantom reappeared and stammered an apology to the Time Keeper.

Clockwork continued on into the day, showing what was to come and advised them on who were the best sort of people to make up the court of the Phantom Prince and the Demeter Princess.

"Daniel Phantom, Samatha Ciarda, come here to me," he called gently. Both of them came forward and knelt before him.

"I am the Clockwork Chronos," he said, drawing himself up to his full height, even as he morphed into a child. "All of Time is open to me as a parade; I see all the twists and turns it may or may not make. Do you understand?"

"Yes, Time Master," they acknowledged.

"Will you care for the green earth and her children as well as for the spectral born?"

"Yes, Time Master."

"Will you swear by the River Styx to never send a soul to Oblivion?"

"Yes, Time Master."

"Touch the cores of each other."

They did so.

"Do you swear to love one another and be faithful and true?"

"Yes, Time Master."

"Do you swear never to harm anyone in either world unless it endanger your safety, the safety of others or the safety of both worlds until you both return to the Heart?"

"Yes, Time Master."

"I need two from the table-Madeline Fenton of Earth and the King of All Ghosts to step forward. Do you swear to guide and aid these, the children of the worlds, to aid them in the task of healing the rifts between both?"

"We so swear," Danny's earthly mother and spectral father took the oath.

"Are there any objections?" Clockwork asked of everyone else.

Tucker raised his hand. "Will I ever get a date with a cheerleader?" he asked.

Danny and Sam jerked their heads up and looked at their best friend with a "you're insane" expression on their faces.

Clockwork chuckled. "You will have quite a future before you, Mr. Foley. You will meet your love and not see her until sixteen moon have waxed and waned. What you will do with that knowledge, is a choice only you can make."

"Yes, Time Master."

"Then Prince Daniel Phantom and Ciarda Demeterschild, your cores are joined as one in the sight of all the Ghost Zone. The Ancients acknowledge you as one; the Heart knows you as one. Live long and prosper." Saying that, he vanished.

"I knew he watched Star Trek," Tucker triumphantly broke the silence that followed.

Danny looked at Sam and grinned. "Tucker 1, Sam 15."

"You have to pay up too, you know," she grumbled. "I don't exactly have pockets on this dress, for your information."

* * *

Somewhere, the Clockwork Chronos chortled with glee.


End file.
